Rob Goodspeed's blog

” … Most foreign travelers interviewed today at American airports said they understood the need for the new security measures. “I think its the best sure thing to identify all persons,” said Franco Pieraccioni who was transferring planes in Atlanta on his way from a vacation in Panama to his home in Florence, Italy. “I think its necessary to extend it to all persons and all countries.” But a few travelers said the new measures were an annoyance and vaguely insulting.

“It’s uncomfortable,” said Dong Ju Kim, 30, a Korean anthropology student at the University of Michigan, who was interviewed today at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport after being fingerprinted and photographed. “It feels like you already did something wrong and they already suspect you for something.”

As for the inconveniences endured by travelers, a State Department spokesman, Adam Ereli, called the program “an important measure to protect our borders and our homeland.” He said the State Department would work with other agencies “to help implement these programs with the minimum of disruptions to our foreign friends and travelers.”

When he was asked about the extra security checks that Brazilian authorities have imposed on American travelers, apparently in retaliation for American security measures, Mr. Ereli said the United States would not second-guess what other countries do. … “